South Yorkshire Times August 6th 1949
Death Fall from Tree
Adventurous Kilnhurst Boy’s Neck Broken
How five year old Pamela Cox, 35, Meadow view, Kilnhurst saw her 10 year old brother Dennis, fall 25 feet to his death while collecting “conkers” in a tree near his home on Saturday, was described at an inquest at Swinton on Monday.
The boy’s father, Albert Dennis Cox, said he was at home about 2:15 PM on Saturday, when nine years old Leslie Newby run in and said “Your Dennis is dead.” He ran back with Newby and found Dennis lying unconscious by a stone wall.
Cox said that the trees his son had climbed was near some old farm buildings. “I knew Dennis was in the habit of playing there, but I did not realise he was so good at climbing trees,” he said.
Leslie Newby said he had arranged to meet Dennis at the farm. When he arrived Dennis had already climbed the tree and was throwing “conkers” down to his sister and a pal Robert Cooper.
“Dennis was standing in the fork of the tree,” Newby said, “and was holding onto one branch with his right and on reaching out for another with his left hand. I saw the branch suddenly snap and heard a crack. He fell headfirst on to a stone wall and I think he caught his head in the branch on the way down.”
Newby said Cox was very good at climbing trees, but he had never seen him as high before.
PC Brown said he knew Cox quite well and described him as being “above the average in adventures..” He had examined the broken branch, which was about one and half inches in diameter. The crack was about a foot from the main stem of the tree and he thought Cox was to be holding on about a foot from the break. The branch was live was and there was no sign of it being rotten.
He was surprised the branch had not been strong enough to support the boy.
Doctor Gilbert Forbes, Sheffield City Police pathologist, said that death was caused by a broken neck and fractured skull.
Summing up, the Coroner said: “I do not think we would like to stop that spirit of adventure in our boys, but must remind them of the dangers.”